2017-02-28

Pakistani lawmakers agree on 2-year-extension of military courts

Staff Report

ISLAMABAD -- Parliamentary leaders of major political parties, except the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), met in Islamabad Tuesday (February 28) and agreed on reinstating military courts for another two years, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party senior leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi said after the meeting, Dawn reported.

PPP leaders did not attend the meeting but called a multi-party conference on March 4 to discuss the matter with other politicians.

The military courts' mandate expired in January. The government established them to speed the trials of suspected terrorists shortly after the December 2014 massacre of more than 140 children and teachers at Army Public School in Peshawar.